Friday, August 20, 2010

Today there was another cloud show. This is how it looked this afternoon as we crossed the Sanibel Causeway.

We had a few sprinkles of rain, for only a few seconds.

That's the sailboat you can see in the distance, still on it's side.

Later this evening I was on our back deck when these bumpy looking clouds caught my attention.

Then, there was the beginning of another evening rainbow.

I checked the sky again from the front deck, and after seeing this view, I begged to go back out on the causeway to watch the sunset.

Before we left, I was curious as to what kind of clouds they were, so I hurriedly searched on the internet for kinds of clouds. I swear, I learned all about clouds when I was in school, but I've obviously forgotten 99% of it.

First thing I read was; a person who studies clouds is a Nepholologist and a person who photographs clouds is a Nepholographer. I know I don't qualify as a Nepholologist because I assume you would have to be able to remember what you've studied. I doubt I could be classified as a Nepholographer when I'm using a 5 megapixel cell phone camera. Oh well, doesn't matter. I still wanted to know about those clouds.

I finally decided they were mammatocumulus clouds. (I'll let you research for yourself, to find out why they were given that name.)

It was getting close to 8 PM as we drove over the first bridge.

The sun was just on it's way down; and the show that followed, made me really happy to be there.

Looking south again at a thunderstorm. We could see clouds light up from sheet lightning and also lightning bolts. At one point, a big bolt of lightning came from the bottom of a cloud and then it looked like, a dozen or so, fingers of lightning came out of the top of the same cloud, in a fan shape. I'm very afraid of lightning, but I have to say that was awesome. It was different than anything I'd ever seen.

After the sun went down, all of the clouds gradually changed in color.

The wonders of the Sanibel sky are unending. What could be in store for us tomorrow?

Later tonight, we were watching the news and weather. I was quite proud of myself, because the weatherman verified the name of those Mammatus clouds. If I had been patient, he could have saved me a lot of researching. :) Areas all around us got inches of rain, we only got around 1/10 of an inch, on the east end of the island.

A notice came in my email today, that also gave me pause for thought:

Sanibel and the surrounding areas are considered a vacation paradise because of the warm sub-tropical climate. This mixture of sunshine, humidity and heavy rainfall is also a great combination for mosquitoes. I very seldom see a mosquito here, but I’ve seen several in just the past week. That’s why I was happy to see this.

The Lee County Mosquito Control District (LCMCD) provides mosquito control for Sanibel and all of Lee County. The LCMCD will deploy its' ground spray trucks and helicopter aircraft this evening from 9 p.m. tonight until 2:00 a.m. tomorrow morning for all of Sanibel Island."Mosquito Season" typically runs from May through October and mosquito activity increases with rain, particularly after heavy rains that produce large areas of standing water. Due to the abundance of mangroves, wetlands and salt marches, Sanibel is a prime breeding ground for mosquitoes.

We sometimes forget that this island wasn’t always a pleasant place to be. I actually find myself thinking about how tough it was for the early settlers here, when I start complaining about the mosquitoes, and no-see-ums. I’ve read some stories about those days and what they had to deal with, that would have sent me running. However, people who spent most or all of their lives here, say it was worth every bit of it. I think we would all agree that progress in the fight against those pesky mosquitoes, is great!

Wow Tootie, I just love looking at those clouds. I work for a big box store. I try to do my walk-about in the parking lot around sunset. We have been seeing the same hugh-mungo clouds up here in Venice. Sorry, about the skeeter truck - the trade-off for living in paradise :) Have a stratific cumulous weekend.

Hi Toots ~ First of all I want to say THANK YOU! Thank you for living on Sanibel. Thank you for creating a blog about your life on Sanibel. And thank you for sharing it in your beautiful blog!

My hubby and I have been vacationing on Sanibel for well over 20 years. We visited various other places, too, on our yearly spring vacations like Anguilla and Belize....but our heart was always mourning for our beloved Sanibel. We fell in love with her the very first time we crossed that incredible causeway, and we left our souls there in the sugary white sand when we had to return home to Michigan.

So when Debbie at loveofthesea.blogspot.com told me about your blog, I just had to check it out right away. I was immediately taken in by your photos and stories. I am now living on Sanibel vicariously through you. You are certainly blessed.

Hubby and I hope to someday retire as close to Sanibel as possible (knowing that we would probably never be able to afford to live on it), so that we can take day trips to visit her and pretend that we do own a little cottage there on the beach... :)

So, thank you, Toots. Thank you for giving me my Sanibel all year long and for keeping my dreams alive.

Hi Tootie~~my sweet sis, Laurie from Heaven's Walk sent me over to see your blog. We plan on staying there in March and April with Rog and Laurie. Your pictures made my eyes misty...just thinking about how beautiful it's going to be.Thank you for sharing on your blog. I love the video!!!I will keep coming back to see everything you have to show us..and yearn for our vacation to Sanibel.What a blessing you are!!!Debbie@houseatthelake

Hey Toots! Thanks for finding me and now I see that those two friends of mine (Laurie/Heaven's Walk & Debbie/Lakehouse) are dumping me and running off from this cold Northern climate to go to Sanibel. I, too, love Sanibel and used to go there back in the 70's. I even dated the "sheriff" of Sanibel way back then...lol..He was oh-so-handsome and oh-so-sweet but it wasn't meant to be. As soon as you crossed the causeway back then and made that big curve there was kind of a shack that sat there (right on the curve)and the guy used to let me park there and go down to the beach. I would have it all to myself with only an ocassional local. I am glad to have found you (or you found me I guess) and I am signing up as your newest follower. Don't let all my Frozen Faces put you off-lol-they are only a cover-up for when I am working long shifts!

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About My Blog.......

I am a retired, grandmother who is living a dream in this tropical paradise, called Sanibel Island.

My blog was created to share some of the beauty I see around me each day. This tranquil place is a haven for wildlife and the natural beaches are spectacular. I will post pictures now and then, that I snap quickly with my cellphone.

Since I am on 'Island Time' and consider myself to be a 'Slacker', my posts may not be on a regular basis. But,I hope you enjoy sharing some of what I am blessed with and come back to visit often.